


Just Like on Our Second Date

by miriam271



Category: Falsettos - Lapine/Finn
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-17
Updated: 2017-02-17
Packaged: 2018-09-25 05:37:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9804788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miriam271/pseuds/miriam271
Summary: Mendel and Trina's bizarre but wonderful second date, inspired by the lyric, "We had trouble parking, just like on our second date" from "Days Like This."Basically, this is about Mendel being terrible at parking and Trina being the most loving and accepting human being ever.





	

“Mendel, honey, that was a perfectly good parking spot you just drove by.”  
  
It was their second date – second of infinitely many, Trina kept reminding herself giddily. Since his rather unexpected but certainly not unwelcome proposal (after all, they’d been circling each other like love-struck deer for weeks), they’d opted for alone time as much as is possible when you have your son and your ex-husband _and_ your ex-husband’s lover to keep track of.  
  
A night out, however, was an especially rare commodity. They’d been engaged for almost four weeks and this was only their second real date.  
  
Well, it would be, if Mendel ever parked.  
  
His hands were trembling on the wheel as his eyes darted across the road. Trina could tell that parking made him nervous – a fact that was, like so many other things about him, strangely endearing. She placed a gentle hand on his knee to soothe him, which unfortunately only seemed to distract him further.  
  
“If I… never… park… we can just… have… our date… in… here,” Mendel stuttered out between shaky breaths. Trina sighed.  
  
“Darling, I’ll let you know when the next good spot comes up, alright? Just keep driving. And breathing.” She squinted at him. “You’re turning quite pale.”  
  
They drove on at a rather erratic speed (Trina was a little surprised they hadn’t been pulled over yet), until she yelled, “THERE! On the left! In front of the bookstore!” A chorus of car horns sounded behind them. “Quickly!”  
  
Mendel pulled into the spot haltingly. “Am… I… even?” he choked out.  
  
Trina checked the rearview mirror. “Almost… just a little to the right… yes… yes that’s perfect.” Mendel let out a dramatic sigh that sounded like more of a gasp and turned off the engine.  
  
Trina waited. Mendel made no move to get out. His thick hair clung to his forehead with perspiration. His hands still trembled on the wheel. He looked at her with wide eyes. “I’m… sorry… that… took… so… long… Trina.”  
  
“That’s alright, sweetheart,” she said. “It’s no trouble.”  
  
“But… we’re… going… to… be… late… for… our… dinner… reservations… I… ruined… the… evening.”  
  
Trina pried one of his hands from the steering wheel and clasped it tightly. “No, no you didn’t.” She pressed soft kisses to the palm of Mendel’s hand, but his eyes were now fixed on the ground. His chest was heaving. Never letting go of his hand, Trina cupped his jaw with her other hand, making him look at her. His eyes – _God, those eyes_ – glistened. “Mendel, my love, _breathe_.”  
  
“I’m… going… to… hyperventilate,” he gasped.  
  
“Shhh, no you won’t,” Trina murmured. “Take a few deep breaths. Everything will be alright.”  
  
Mendel took sharp breaths that gradually became more even. His chest stilled. He looked at Trina – _really_ looked at her now. “Everything will be alright,” he repeated, softly, almost reverently. “I’m sorry.”  
  
She pressed another kiss to his hand. “You don’t have to be.”  
  
“No… I… parking makes me anxious,” Mendel stuttered out. “I mean, I’m _always_ anxious,” he admitted with a lopsided grin that made her heart skip a beat. He ducked his head. “But especially with parking. When I first got my license, I crashed my father’s car. I was fine, but… he was disappointed of course… very much so… and…”  
  
Trina placed a finger over his lips, relishing Mendel’s sharp intake of breath that had nothing to do with parking trouble. She gazed at him lovingly, feeling oddly honored that he knew he could open up to her. “I understand. It’s okay.”  
  
With what seemed to be considerable effort, Mendel shook his head and removed her finger from his lips. “No, you don’t. I haven’t had trouble parking in years. But with you… the stakes are higher. That sounds melodramatic, but it’s true. When I’m the only one in the car, I don’t have to worry so much. With you… I…” He faltered. “It’s just…” He looked up at her with so much adoration that it overwhelmed her. “I love you so much and I’ve waited so long for us to be together that I feel… a… a different weight on my shoulders now.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry… this must all sound foolish and incredibly sappy…”  
  
“No,” she cut him off, having trouble thinking coherently with her heart threatening to escape her chest. “No, it’s not foolish. I love you too.” She stroked his cheek. “So very much.”  
  
He shook his head again, leaning forward, his hand playing with the fabric of her skirt. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you,” he admitted.  
  
She eased closer too, lacing her arms around his neck. “Oh, please. I am the lucky one. _So_ lucky.”  
  
His no-longer-trembling hands settled on her hips, the corners of his mouth quirking up into that smile she adored. “No, _I’m_ the lucky one. Especially considering how horrible my proposal was. Comparing myself to a zebra? Not very steamy. I don’t even know what I was thinking when I mentioned that giant man…”  
  
_“Hush,”_ Trina whispered, leaning in to kiss him thoroughly. Mendel obeyed willingly, kissing her back as his hands wandered across her frame.  
  
Trina maneuvered herself onto his lap, never breaking the contact, her fingers twisting into his mess of curls. “Trina,” Mendel muttered into her lips.  
  
“Mmmm?” she replied.  
  
“I’m having trouble breathing again.”  
  
Trina laughed, a light, airy laugh that had been completely absent from her previous life with Marvin. She continued kissing him, murmuring, “You don’t really seem to mind.”  
  
They went on like that for a while longer, Mendel pulling back every so often to press a gentle kiss to her forehead or neck. Their hands were intertwined between them, Mendel’s free hand cradling Trina’s frame as he leaned back onto the car seat, looking to all the world like a pair of teenagers that couldn’t keep their hands off each other, yet with a tenderness all their own.  
  
Eventually, Mendel whispered, “Trina,” again. Trina pulled away reluctantly, allowing her forehead to rest on his as they now _both_ struggled to get their breathing under control.  
  
“Darling,” she replied softly, savoring the complete love and trust in his eyes, his previous anxiety now calmed.  
  
“While I could gladly continue on like this all night,” he began, smiling at the giggle that prompted from Trina – _God, she never used to giggle._ “We do have reservations at that restaurant.”  
  
“Yes,” she sighed, easing off of him so that he could pull the car door open. He stepped out, extending his hand with a sort of mock-chivalry that made her grin. She placed her hand in his and allowed him to kiss it before helping her down. Hand in hand, they walked out into the night.  
  
And that’s the story of how Mendel and Trina’s almost catastrophic second date ended up pretty wonderful.

**Author's Note:**

> So this was supposed to be pure humor, but it quickly turned into pure fluff. Oops. Anyway, I love and miss Falsettos so much. Mendel and Trina (particularly when played by Brandon and Stephanie) are just adorable.
> 
> This is my first Falsettos fic, so please let me know what you think! If you like this and want to see more, please leave requests in the comments below! I love the teeny tiny band so much and am more than willing to write about any/all of them.


End file.
